She Works Hard for the Movies
"She Works Hard for the Movies" is the fourth episode of the second season, and the forty-fourth episode of The Replacements. Synopsis Agent K forces the kids to get jobs to earn their own money. Riley gets a job at a drive-in movie theater, and soon, she replaces her overly demanding boss. Meanwhile, Todd and Jacobo’s get-rich-quick schemes get them in trouble. Plot Act I Riley wants to make it big in show business. During dinner, she tells her family about a Rainbow Jumper/Majestic Horse crossover movie she wants to make. She begs her parents to buy her a digital camera, and Todd asks for a dirtbike. Agent K is tired of Riley’s begging because she has a new passion every week. This time, the siblings must work for their money. The next day at school, Riley and her friends browse a classifieds website. Todd already has a new get-rich-quick scheme: selling “bully insurance.” He is convinced that his plan is foolproof, but Donny punches him and takes his profits. Meanwhile, Riley finds her dream job working at a local drive-in theater. That night, she discovers that working the concession stand is harder than it looks. The boss shuts off the projector and kicks the moviegoers out, even though the movie wasn’t over yet. Riley is forced to sweep up the trash. Since the “bully insurance” scam didn’t pan out, Todd and Jacobo start selling overpriced smoothies. Todd finds that the smoothie business is a lot more profitable. Meanwhile, Riley complains about her job to her father. She’s tired from working all night, and she didn’t even get to watch the movies. Dick tells his daughter that work is rewarding, and in his words, Riley can't always ride the rocket up; she has to come back down. Then, Riley visits Todd’s smoothie stand, where he convinces Riley that self-employment is much more rewarding. Suddenly, a couple of guys from a rival smoothie restaurant attack Jacobo. That night, Riley deals with difficult customers. At the end of her shift, Riley confronts her boss. She encourages him to be more passionate about cinema. Unmoved, the boss gives Riley a position as a sign-spinner in a dog costume. Riley finally calls Fleemco and replaces her boss. Act II The next day, Jacobo believes that Todd should get a real job. Todd doesn’t want a real job. He finds some tickets in his locker, and he gets the idea to hold a raffle for a trip around the world. He obviously doesn’t have anything to give away, but Shelton easily falls for Todd’s newest scam. After Riley gets dropped off at work, she discovers that Fleemco replaced her boss with famous Hollywood director Rodrigo Tarantinez. Riley gets excited about having a boss who appreciates cinema. Instead of wide-release movies, Rodrigo plays old B-movies like Way of the Furious Funk Dragon (starring a young Dick Daring) and Hush Yo Mouth. Riley and Rodrigo watch movies in the projection room rather than doing their jobs. The trash starts piling up, and people steal snacks because there’s no one at the concession stand. The next time Riley goes to work, she discovers that the drive-in is up for sale. Riley tries to explain to Rodrigo that he’s driving customers away by playing weird movies, and the theater is in danger of being purchased by a corporation, but Rodrigo doesn’t care. Act III Jacobo stops by Todd's house with a bunch of angry raffle ticket holders. Todd announces that Jacobo is the winner, and the other contestants realize that the raffle was rigged. Todd slams the door in Jacobo’s face, leaving Jacobo to the wrath of their victims. Riley explains her situation to Agent K. Agent K suggests that Riley should work harder. Riley hated that job, but her mother says that's why they have to pay her to do it. Later, Riley calls Fleemco to return Rodrigo Tarantinez, but Conrad refuses, so Riley has to take matters into her own hands. That evening, the Darings all work together to clean up the drive-in theater. To thank Todd for volunteering, Riley had promised to share half of her salary so he could get his dirt bike, but Todd needed to pay Jacobo’s medical bills. Their efforts have gone to waste; the drive-in theater gets bulldozed right after they finish. It will become another smoothie restaurant. Rodrigo blames Riley for closing the drive-in. Despite all of this, Agent K still bought Riley a camera because she worked so hard for it, but Riley needs to pay her back. Riley sees that a brand-new movie theater is hiring. Todd refuses to get a job, so Riley applies for herself. Notes * The episode's title is a reference to the Donna Summer song "She Works Hard for the Money". * Rodrigo Tarantinez is an obvious parody of Quentin Tarantino. * Todd finds the head of the Robofleem S-G-X (from "The Insecurity Guard") in his locker. * The title Hush Yo Mouth references the "[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theme_from_Shaft Theme from Shaft]", and Riley and Rodrigo paraphrase the lyrics. * Conrad says that a reverse-replacement is unprecedented, but it happened in "Quiet Riot" and "The Means Justify the Trend". Category:Episodes Category:Season Two